


In some other world

by dancey94



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: After the Fall, Angst, F/M, M/M, Memory Palace, Mind Palace, after the finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 03:45:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4945549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancey94/pseuds/dancey94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after their jump off the cliff...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In some other world

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abigail_frank](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigail_frank/gifts).



The place is quiet. Hannibal can hear only a light sniffling and the white noise coming from the tv in the staff room. He’s standing in the centre of his cell, theatrically, as if he was an actor on a stage, waiting for the audience to applaud him. That’s not going to happen. The last his audience had cheered was when the judge announced the verdict and banged the gavel against the huge mahogany desk, sentencing him to death by a lethal injection.

And Hannibal of course didn’t mind. He watched the people who gathered outside the courthouse, through the window, and smiled widely, revealing his sharp, slightly crooked teeth. Terrifying.

Turning his face away, he spotted Will with his eyes closed and head hung like he was about to lose it. Well, he was. He is. Graham is sitting in the cell next to Lecter’s, with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s sitting there in utter silent, running through the corridors of his mind palace, looking for the door that will lead him to the stream. He needs peace. He needs an escape.

They are already after the last meal, which Will didn’t care about so Lecter chose the menu for them both: lamb chops extra rare. There is no clock in the corridor, no annoying ticking, thank god. And that makes the time even more of an abstract concept. Will doesn’t know how much longer, doesn’t know the exact hour. He can get lost in his chambers and so can Hannibal.

There is no regret, no reconciliation, nothing. The only thing Lecter is still somewhat afraid of is that Will may have not forgiven him his little affair after all.

It started as a game, a slight change in their routine, an amusement. It was thrilling.

Lecter first spotted FBI trainee Starling in the papers after her great failure. The FBI needed a patsy and she was the best they had. After the fall Will never mentioned the police, the FBI, anything. He wasn’t interested in the article, unlike Hannibal, who sent Starling a letter through the FBI.

Then, a small gift was sent across the Atlantic. A souvenir.

Seeing that Starling may be a good asset in capturing Lecter, the FBI decided to restore the woman’s status in the institution. She wanted to write back to Lecter but there were no clues as to where the man can be and if he’s still with Graham (honestly, there was no evidence stating Will was still alive).

The letters were coming, and with time it turned into a mutual obsession. Starling read every file about Lecter and Hannibal was sending the letters more frequently, a small gift in every envelope. There was a silver necklace, a golden ring, a bird's feather.

Will got tired of that. That’s not how their getaway was supposed to look like. Well, he hadn’t imagine it in any way but _that_ was definitely far from any expectations he could have.

“What if she works it out? What if they find us? Have you given any thought to that?”

“Are you jealous, Will?”

But Will only snorted and left the man be. He let the affair go for a few more weeks before Hannibal killed someone and sent Starling the victim’s ear. That was too much.

They had to move because the FBI located their hideout, based on the victim’s DNA that matched to the dead body in Argentina.

Lecter was prepared for that. Although he’s not a man who forms a master plan, he keeps his options open.

But since the whole affair was so amusing, Hannibal resumed sending Starling letters after six months. Clarice had a few successes and her career was stable. Lecter was afraid that after the failure in Argentina the FBI would withdraw from cooperation with the woman but she actually worked hard and earned a title of an FBI agent.

The new letters made Starling hopeful again and she put all her effort and time to find clues that may lead her to Lecter. A one-sided affair was doomed to sink in an ocean of tears as there was still no communication between them. She kept looking at the man's photos and everyone started to worry about her. This leading-to-nowhere chase could take the best of her years and she could end up fired or depressed or even dead.

Some called it fate, some lucky coincidence, that on one rainy day Clarice was on a trip to Vienna. She was supposed to attend a conference, and in her free time she wanted to go sightseeing. The museums offered plenty of attractions and due to the bad weather many people found the buildings a perfect place to wait through the rain.

Clarice was on her way to the museum, holding a newspaper over her head, when she noticed a man on the other side of the street. He was tall, in a dark coat and brown trousers. She saw mainly his back but when he turned to say something to his companion, she knew.

She recognised Lecter instantly and the man next to him turned out to be Graham. Hidden under a thick layer of beard, Will’s face didn’t change and wore a sign of his fight with the Dragon.

Clarice was afraid that as she recognised Lecter, he recognised her. But it appeared he didn’t and the next day, the Austrian law enforcement apprehended both men in their temporary dwelling, which Clarice found after following the men.

Now Hannibal is thinking about everything that happened during the last few days. They were happy in Argentina, they were happy in Austria. He ruined their happiness, something he cherished, something he wanted to offer Will, no matter what. He feels slightly guilty that he disappointed the man.

And then his heart swell in pride at the thought that Will could have gotten away with all of it. If only he testified that he was forced to leave with Lecter. That the doctor drugged him, played with him, manipulated him. That it was Stockholm syndrome. But Will decided to confess to multiple murders he committed with Hannibal during their stay abroad. Will was the one who asked for the same verdict as Hannibal.

‘Can’t live with him. Can’t live without him.’

The trial was fairly quiet and lasted only one day. Under a heavy file of evidence even the most pliant judge would have to break and sentence the defendants to capital punishment.

There were a few attorneys who wanted to defend Lecter and Graham but the men were determined not to hire anyone; the verdict was obvious. The case would be a challenge and, truthfully, no one would win it but there is no shortage of crazy, over self-confident pricks who want to get rich or famous over such a case.

Will is sitting with his back to the wall separating them and turns his head to the bars. He hasn’t seen Lecter for a few days, he’s only heard his light snoring at night and his breathing. They haven’t even talked.

This is stupid. There have maybe a few hours left and Will wants to say goodbye. More – he wants to yell at Lecter for ruining his life, for sending their happiness to hell, for burning his self-respect to ashes.

There was a time he wished they both died because that would be the ultimate end of the madness. He was determined to sacrifice his life only to stop all of it. He’d stop Hannibal.

But when they started their lives anew, with Will completely devoted to Lecter and the dark side of himself, he couldn’t imagine _that_ ever ending. Every day was full of surprises and affection that Will never experienced and never craved because he didn’t think such a thing was possible. And even when they developed a routine, it was still satisfying.

Hannibal kept uncovering new parts in him and it was thrilling. When the doctor started the affair with Starling, Will never held it against him.

He can’t bring himself to do so even now. That’s just what happened.

Funny, how the same barrier was between them two times and it never disconnected them. When Will was in prison, Lecter was heartbroken and did everything to undo the harm, to fix his mistake. They kept seeing each other.

When Hannibal was in prison it took three years and a new killer for Will to come and realise there’s no escape from his love for Hannibal.

And now, again, there is this barrier between them, only slightly more bothering them. Will turns to lean against the wall with his side and he touches the cold brick.

In his mind palace, he walks into a beautiful garden, where Hannibal is serving them cups with vanilla ice cream, setting them on the white table. Lecter is wearing a light white shirt with short sleeves and a pair of beige shorts. Will sits next to the man and reaches for the cup with the dessert. They get the first taste and it’s soothing against their throats on this beautiful sunny day.

“You bastard.” Will says, calmly, enjoying the meal, and Lecter smiles with his forehead frowned. “You were supposed to love _me_.”

Hannibal’s knees almost bend from weakness at hearing the words. He enters his memory palace and looks for Will there. The task is not easy; Will managed to arrange the scene at the end of the corridor on the third floor. The door seems old and are covered with dust and ivy. Lecter opens it and finds the man dressed in a blue shirt, with rolled-up sleeves, whose hem hides a pair of swim shorts.

The view from the garden is stunning: a lake (filled with fish as Will managed to discover), no other house near them, no people. The white table stands on the almost-too-perfectly-green-to-be-real grass.

“How can you doubt my love for you?” Lecter asks, full of sorrow, when he takes a seat next to Will.

Now they’re even, now both of the scenes match. They really do share rooms in their palaces. The number still grows as Will continue building, redecorating and expanding. Hannibal helps him, but only to some extent, organise the layout of the rooms.

Hannibal looks at Will and wrinkles appear around his eyes as he smiles at the sight before him. Graham has only a slight stubble (his face looks much younger that way) and his blue eyes have never been more clear and resemble the colour of the ocean.

Will places a hand on Hannibal’s bare thigh and stares straight into the man’s eyes.

“It doesn’t even matter now. Let’s just stay here.”

They sit in silence for the next few minutes, enjoying the hot air and the rays of sun on their faces. The only noise comes from the near forest as the leaves rustle on the trees and the birds start their mating period.

Hannibal turns to face Will and cups the man’s face with his palms. He feels the stubble sting his skin but he’s not bothered by that. They gaze into each other’s eyes, both regretful and merciful. Will’s eyes become teary and he can’t help but feel like crying any second. Hannibal smiles at him reassuringly and Will bursts into laughter. He, too, cups Lecter’s face and leans in, in attempt to lock their lips one last time.

Graham never suspected he’d be kissing a man at one point in his life. He considered himself straight and that was the end of story. Kissing Hannibal for the first time wasn’t about him being gay or even bisexual and never having the chance to find out. It was about genuine affection and fascination. Will was curious and willing.

Before Will can make the connection between them, a guard yells something and the door to Hannibal’s cell opens. Three guards walk in overpower Lecter.

The image of Will becomes blurry in Lecter’s memory palace, before it disappears completely. Graham looks through the bars as the guards take Hannibal by force. He bangs his fist against the brick but manages to finally see Lecter being taken away from him.

The man is dressed in a straight jacket and he’s wearing the mask they both know all too well. He’s seated in a wheel chair and the tied to it. The guards drive him forward, in front of Will’s cell and as Hannibal turns his face, their eyes meet for the last time, for all they know.

Will presses his body as close to the bars as he can, only to catch a glimpse of his friend, before he’s injected with poison and they are both dead.

Will wishes he was the one to be taken first. He doesn’t believe he will bear the knowledge of Hannibal lying on the same bed and dying where he will die right after.

Will yells. He’s been calm till the last second and he knows Hannibal has been calm, too. But now it doesn’t even matter. He’ll be dead in no time, he couldn’t care less about dignity, even if that’s what Hannibal would ask of him.

“I love you, Hannibal!” Will screams in lack of other words' he doesn’t really have to do this, Hannibal knows what they feel for each other, but he needs to.

'I know where to find you. You know where to find me.' echoes in Will's mind.

The door to the corridor shuts and Will is left alone, leaning against the bars, with the white noise from the tv again. It’s only a matter of minutes now.

**Author's Note:**

> And maybe in some other world they are not caught and live happily ever after. Maybe in another, they died after jumping off that cliff. And in yet another world, Starling saves them both, helps them escape and they gradually work on their love triangle.


End file.
